Sun Sets More Software Free

Sun Wednesday continued to unlock its software assets with the free release of its Java Enterprise System and N1 Software.
Java Enterprise System and Sun N1 Management are now available under open
source license.

The products will be included in a comprehensive software infrastructure platform known as the Solaris Enterprise System.

All of the programs inside the Solaris Enterprise System will be available for free download and will likely be released under an open source license. Sun will make its money from support and service subscriptions rather than licensing fees.

Java Enterprise System is Sun's infrastructure software platform and includes Java Availability Suite, Java Identity Management Suite, Java Web Infrastructure Suite, Java Application Platform Suite and the Java Communications Suite. It was recently opened up to run on a wider array of systems. Sun's N1 Management Software was updated earlier this year and now includes the Sun N1 System Manager, the Sun N1 Service Provisioning System, the Sun N1 Grid Engine.

In total, the new Solaris Enterprise System contains what John Loiacono, executive vice president of software at Sun, called "the only open enterprise class alternative to proprietary platforms like the Microsoft platform."

"We believe that anyone still dealing in the proprietary Unix space and the propriety operating space is challenged," Loiacono said. "This is how people today are developing applications and also how administrators architects and CIO's are looking to architect their futures."

Earlier this month, Sun expanded the open source support inside of its flagship Solaris OS adding the open source PostgreSQL database, Xen virtualization, GRUB boot loader and the Solaris ZettaByte File System (ZFS).